Badminton practice apparatus



Aug. 5, 1941. F. FLORES 2,251,669

BADMINTON PRACTICE APPARATUS ;Filed .Feb4. v 7, 1939 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 nvehor FEDER/co FLORES,

A ttorne ys Aug 5, 1941- F. FLORES 2,251,669

BADMINTON PRACTICE APPARATUS Filed Feb'. '7, 1959 s sheets-sheet 2 Inventor FEDER/co Ilo/Q55,

A ttornys Aug. 5, 1941.v l F, FLQRES y 2,251,669

BADMINTON PRACTICE APPAATUS Filed Feb. "7, 1939 3 Shee'i-s-SheetV 5 Inventor FEDER/C0 AEURES,

ttorneus Patented Aug. 5, 1941 UNITED STATES PATENToFFIcE Federico Flores, Chicago, Ill.

Application February 7, 1939, Serial No. 255,126

1 Claim.

This invention appertains to new and useful improvements in amusement apparatus and more particularly to a machine for enabling persons to practice badminton singly, thus dispensing With the necessity of having a partner.

The principal object of the present invention is to provide a machine for shooting badminton shuttle cocks in the direction of the person practicing.

Another important object of the invention is to provide a machine for projecting badminton birds, one at a time, and automatically, after the machine has once been set in operation.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will become apparent to the reader of the following specification.

In the drawings- Figure l represents a side elevational view.

Figure 2 is a front elevation.

Figure 3 is a section on the line 3--3 of Figure 1.

Figure 4 is a vertical sectional view taken substantially on a line 4 4 of Figure 3.

Figure 5 is a cross section on the line 5-5 of Figure 4.

Figure 6 is a side elevational view of the spring mechanism and trip means.

Figure 7 is a fragmentary perspective View of the upper portion of the carriage.

Referring to the drawings wherein like numerd als designate like parts, it can be seen that the machine consists of a cylindrical case 5 having the rounded off end portion 6. The other end oi. the case 5 is open and is provided With the upstanding and depending walls 1 and 8 respectively, each lprovided with outstanding flanges 9 which yextend continuously from one wall to the other.

Numeral Ill denotes the carriage for the shuttle cocks and this is in the form of a plate having i outstanding frusto-conical shaped bosses Il over which the shuttle cocks I2 can be disposed in the manner clearly shown in Figure 1. The shuttle cocks will wedge in place on these tapered bosses II.

As can be seen in Figures 2 and 3, strap members I3 extend inwardly from the channeled anges 9 and connect to the barrel I4 which eX- tends forwardly from the machine. The barrel I4 is formed with openings I 5 in the top and bottom portions thereof sufficiently large to permit the bosses II with the shuttle cocks thereon to pass into the barrel. As can be seen in Figures 3 and 4, and also in Figure 7, the carriage ID is provided with rearwardly extending flanges I6 adapted to ride in grooves in aforesaid flanges 9 and adjacent each of these flanges I6 is a row of rack teeth I1. These rack teeth mesh with gears I8 carried by the crank shaft I9. Thev crank shaft I9 has the crank 20 to which is connected the pitman 2|. This pitman 2I is eccentrica-lly connected as at 22 to the mutilated gear 23. The mutilated gear is stripped of teeth for approximately 120 degrees of its circumference andthe toothed portion is engageable With the rack 24 of the slider 25, this slider being provided with depending lugs 26 through which the plunger rod 21 extends. The plunger rod has a collar 28 against which one of the lugs 26 abuts. An upstanding bracket 29 has the coiled compressible spring 30 bearing against the same at one end while the opposite end impinges against the lug 26 adjacent the collar 28.

The plunger rod 21 operates through the guide 3I on the bracket 32 and has the head 33 which is operative through the aligned boss Il to strike the body of the corresponding badminton shuttle cock to drive the same through the barrel I4 to- Ward the practicing player. i

Once this machine is prepared for operation, it Will operate to project each of the shuttle cocks and it is to be understood that any number of bosses Il may be provided on the carriage IIl to accommodate a corresponding number of shuttle cocks.

In setting the machine for operation, the clock mechanism generally referred to by numeral 34 must be wound by the player. The mechanism includes the usual spring 35 and other mechanism such as is found in key-wound clock mechanism. The winding stem is denoted by numeral 36 and has the removable crank handle 31 for operating the same. The drive is from the shaft 36 by way of the gears 38, 39 and 40 to theA spring and the spring carries the gear ring 40 on its surrounding cylinder, in driving engagement with the pinion 4I. The pinion 4I is on the shaft 42 with the gear 43 and with this gear 43 is engageable the pall 44. ,The pall 44 has the counterbalancing weight extension 45 and the depending leg 46 which is fulcrumed as at 41 for rocking action. From the lower end of this leg 46 extends the control line 48 which extends to a remote point or to a point where the player can conveniently pull the same and get himself ready for the first shot.

The gear 43 is on the shaft 42 with the aforementioned mutilated gear 23.

As is found in clock mechanisms, the rst gear I38 is preferably provided with a spring pressed pawl 49.

It can now be seen, that as the clock mecha- :nism operates after its releasement, the gear 23 will rotate in the direction of the arrow (see Fig. 4) and after the last tooth of the gear 23 leaves the rack 24, the rack and slider 25 will be released and as the spring 30 has been compressed under this action of the gear 23, the slider will force the rod 21 toward the right in Figure 4 rapidly causing the head 33 to strike the body part of the badminton shuttle cock and drive the same `toward the player through the barrel I4.

The gear 23 will continue to rotate, each time feeding the rack 24 rearwardly and compressing the spring 30 and subsequently releasing the rack to permit the plunger rod 21 to move to project another shuttle cock.

The carriage l is gradually fed downwardly to bring the bosses and the shuttle cocks carried thereon successively into proper vposition to be struck by the plunger head 33. Obviously, the action of the gears I8 on the crank shaft I9 and the plunger will be synchronized so that the action of feeding the shuttle cocks into position and driving the same will be coordinated.

It is preferable that some form of tripod such as is generally referred to by numeral 50 in the drawings, be employed for supporting the machine in the desired position.

While the foregoing specification sets forth the invention in specific terms, it is to be understoodthat numerous changes in the shape, size and materials may be resorted to Without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as claimed hereinafter. Thus I lay no claim for novelty in respect to the specic advancing and striking means shown in the drawings, inasmuch as many equivalent means are well known in the art. All such equivalent means are to be understood as included within the scope of the following claim.

Having described the claimed as new is- A device for periodically projecting badminton shuttle cocks comprising in combination a reciprocating striking member, a magazine for shuttle cocks comprising a projectile-supporting plate provided with a series of spaced frusto-conical shuttle cock-receiving projections open at both ends, means for mounting said plate for movement in a transverse path across the path of said striking member, and means for advancing said plate the space of one frusto-conical projection for every stroke of the reciprocating striking member, thereby serially positioning said shuttle cocks in striking position.

invention, what is FEDERICO FLORES. 

